Deepfake Avatars in Healthcare – Nursing Education Network

Internet users and nurses, on this planet of generative artificial intelligence (AI), how would you want your educational resources to be delivered by a digital replica? Or could you deliver telehealth via an AI avatar (synthetic healthcare) or medical chatbot? How does trust and the event of interpersonal relationships occur via an avatar? If future nurse training includes robots and virtual reality, will using simulated patients and clinical scenarios be the norm?

The workforce challenge: Globally, it’s estimated that there shall be a shortage of 4.5 million nurses and 0.31 million midwives by 2030 (World Health Organization (2022)). Will artificial intelligence or “synthetic” healthcare employees be the reply?

Here are some areas where AI-generated content has generated mixed reactions within the media:

• Misinformation
• Fake well-known or respected healthcare professionals giving health advice
• Fake patient support stories
• Made-up celebrity endorsements of unproven products or treatments

Agarwal, A. (20240. 4 Ways to Reduce the Risk of Deepfakes in Healthcare.forbes

Boniol, M., Kunjumen, T., Nair, T. S., Siyam, A., Campbell, J., and Diallo, K. (2022). Global Healthcare Workforce Status and Distribution 2020 and 2030: A Threat to Equity and “Universal” Health Coverage?. BMJ Global Health, 7(6), e009316.

Ludwik, B. (2021). Deepake is the long run of content creation. BBC News.

Mesko. B. (2023). Me and My Digital Twin: I Have a Brand New Deepfake Avatar. Medical futurist.